Daily reading

Today’s reading is: Jer. 31:15-40; 49:34-51:14

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Jeremiah Chapter Thirty-One

(Outline continues from yesterday)

  1. Jeremiah describes Rachel weeping for her children (Jer. 31:15-20).
    1. Joseph had been carried away by Assyria in 722BC.
    2. Benjamin is now being carried away by Babylon in 586BC.
    3. Ramah was the mustering point for the Babylonian death march (Jer. 40:1).
    4. This lamentation and weeping will find yet another fulfillment when the mothers of Bethlehem weep over their slain infants (Matt. 2:16-18).
  2. Jeremiah urges the captives to mark their route of travel, because they will be returning.  This is a promise guaranteed by Divine miracle—a woman will encompass a man (Jer. 31:21-22).
    1. This verse is perhaps the most difficult verse in the entire Bible.  A woman will encompass a גָּבֶר geber.
    2. Pastor Bob believes this verse has its fulfillment in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.
      1. A child is born, a son is given, and it is the אֵל גִּבּוֹר ’ēl gibbowr mighty God (Isa. 9:6) within the woman (Jer. 31:22).
      2. Jesus Christ is the גֶּבֶר geber (Zech. 13:7).
  3. The time of Israel’s physical and spiritual restoration is described (Jer. 31:23-30), and a New Covenant is introduced (Jer. 31:31-37).
    1. The New Covenant is “made” in these coming days—the Second Advent of Jesus Christ (v.31a).
    2. The New Covenant is made “with” the unified house of Israel & Judah (v.31b).
      1. The New Covenant is not made with the Church, which was never under Mosaic Law, never broke the Mosaic Covenant, and was never brought out of Egypt (v.32).
      2. Members of the Church are deacon/servant/ministers of the New Covenant (2nd Cor. 3:6), as we are in Christ (Eph. 2:6,10), the Mediator of the New Covenant (Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24).
    3. The New Covenant is contrasted with the conditional, obsolete Mosaic Covenant (v.32 cf. Heb. 8:13; 9:15).
      1. The New Covenant will be inscribed upon hearts rather than tablets of stone (v.33; Ezek. 11:19; 36:25-27).
      2. The New Covenant will provide for Israel’s knowledge of the Lord and the forgiveness of their national sin (v.34).
      3. Israel will finally serve to communicate the Lord and His word to the gentile nations (Isa. 11:9-10; 60:3,14; Zech. 8:21-23).
    4. The heavens and earth will pass away before God abandons Israel as a nation before Him (Jer. 31:35-37 cf. Mt. 5:18).

Jeremiah Chapter Forty-Nine

(Outline continues from Day 228)

  1. Jeremiah’s message to Elam is unique (Jer. 49:34-39). 
    1. No comparable messages are given by any other prophet; only passing comments in Isaiah (Isa. 11:11; 21:2; 22:6), Ezekiel (Ezek. 32:24), and Daniel (Dan. 8:2).
    2. From Shem (Gen. 10:22) to Chedorlaomer (Gen. 14:1), to Ezra (Ezr. 4:9,10) & Pentecost (Acts 2:8,9) the Elamites remain largely unexplained.

Jeremiah Chapter Fifty

  1. Chapters 50 & 51 are an extended series of prophecies against Babylon. 110 verses in these two chapters surpasses 60 verses by Isaiah (Isa. 13:1-22; 14:1-23; 47:1-15) and 42 verses by the Apostle John (Rev. 17:1-18; 18:1-24).
  2. Babylon’s fall is described (Jer. 50:1-10). 
    1. Great stress is laid on Babylon’s destruction and resultant uninhabited object of horror (Jer. 50:3,12,13,23,26,39,40; 51:29,27,43,62 cf. Isa. 13:20).  This prophecy was not fulfilled by the Medo-Persian overthrow of Babylon (Dan. 5:28-31).
    2. “In those days and at that time” (Jer. 50:4,20) is an eschatological formula common to Jeremiah (Jer. 3:16-18; 33:15-16), the direct consequences of which is Israel’s eternal blessing under the New Covenant (Jer. 50:5).
  3. Babylon (like Assyria before) was prideful over their destruction of the Jews (Jer. 50:11-20).
  4. The Land of Double-Rebellion, and the Inhabitants of Punishment become the objects of God’s wrath, as He takes vengeance for the destruction of His temple (Jer. 50:21-28).
  5. The deliverance of Israel from the Babylonian captivity is a mighty work of the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and the One Who brings down the arrogant one (Jer. 50:29-43).
  6. Who is like Me? Who will summon Me into court? (Jer. 50:44-46).
    1. Ultimately, God’s victory over Babylon is God’s victory over Satan (Isa. 14:12-23; 46:5-13).
    2. The Accuser will be thrown down in the Tribulation of Israel (Rev. 12:10) and his global plan will be ended at Armageddon (Rev. 19:11-20:3).

Jeremiah Chapter Fifty-One

  1. The Lord describes the fall of Babylon in both human and angelic terms (Jer. 51:1-4).
    1. Leb-kamai “heart of my adversary” has reference to the fallen angelic influences that motivate the human realm of Babylon.
    2. Leb-kemai is called the destroying spirit.  רוּחַ מַשְׁחִית.  Hiph. ptc. שָׁחַת shāchath #7843: to destroy, corrupt, decay.
    3. Leb-kemai is also an encoded name for Chaldea.  
      1. Hebrew atbashes are found three times in Jeremiah (Jer. 25:26; 51:1,41).
      2. Leb-kemai is the atbash for Chaldea, and Sheshach is the atbash for Babylon.
      3. It is not clear that the pre-Masoretic Hebrew manuscripts contained these atbashes. The LXX and other texts seem to indicate such atbashes were not in use prior to the textual emendations of Rabbi Akiba in the 2nd century.
  2. Babylon is the Lord’s golden cup, which the Lord has allowed to intoxicate the nations of the earth (Jer. 51:5-14; cf. Rev. 14:8; 17:1,4; 18:3).

(Chapter Fifty-One continues tomorrow)